Packers Draft Picks 2017: Results, Grades and Analysis for Each Selection
After a heartbreaking exit from the 2017 NFC Championship Game and a surprisingly eventful offseason, it's finally time for Green Bay Packers fans to learn which new faces will be showing up in training camp this summer and helping the team with its goal of winning another Lombardi Trophy in 2017.
Heading into the draft and prior to any possible trades, the Packers hold eight picks in the 2017 NFL draft, as follows:
- Round 1, No. 29 overall
- Round 2, No. 61 overall
- Round 3, No. 93 overall
- Round 4, No. 134 overall
- Round 5, No. 172 overall
- Round 5, No. 182 overall (compensatory)
- Round 6, No. 212 overall
- Round 7, No. 247 overall
The Packers earned one compensatory pick this year for losing cornerback Casey Hayward last offseason to the Los Angeles Chargers.
This is the first year that the NFL will allow compensatory picks to be traded, and Packers fans will know that "Trader Ted" Thompson is very likely to package No. 182 this year.
The Packers' most crucial needs heading into this year's draft are secondary, edge-rusher and defensive line, but running back is also up there. Look for Green Bay to address these positions, relative to Thompson's "best available player" philosophy, in the early rounds of the draft.
Round 2, Pick 33 (via CLE)
1 of 10Round 2, Pick 33 (via CLE): Kevin King, CB, Washington
The Packers traded out of Round 1 and ended up with the Cleveland Browns' selections at No. 33 and No. 108 overall.
That means Green Bay opens the draft on both Day 2 and Day 3, which is an excellent position for a front office to be in.
To open the action on Day 2, Green Bay selected cornerback Kevin King out of Washington. The Packers were pegged to be interested in a corner at their original pick of No. 29 in Round 1, and King likely earned a Round 1 grade on their board.
Thus, Thompson ended up with one of the players he wanted on Day 1, and he got him and some additional picks on Day 2.
King has the length and size (6'3", 200 pounds) the Packers are missing in their secondary. He's also a playmaker, with two interceptions and a team-high 13 pass breakups in 2016.
With Davon House and Quinten Rollins, ideally, best-suited at nickel corner, in King the Packers get a solid perimeter corner who can force receivers to miss outside the numbers.
Grade: A+
Round 2, Pick 61
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Round 2, Pick 61: Josh Jones, S, N.C. State
Josh Jones wasn't a name that many in Packer Nation expected to hear called in Round 2.
For the second time in three years, Green Bay chose to address the secondary in its first two draft selections.
However, there's no question that poor play and missed opportunities—not to mention a lack of speed—have plagued the secondary in recent years, and perhaps now with these handpicked weapons, Green Bay can finally rise into the top 10 in the league in pass defense.
Jones ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. It was the second-fastest 40 time among all safeties, behind just Connecticut's Obi Melifonwu.
Also a top performer in the vertical jump (37.5 inches), Jones led the Wolfpack with 109 tackles in 2016, including four for loss, as well as three interceptions and eight pass breakups.
Losing defensive back Micah Hyde in free agency this season is an underrated blow to an already struggling Packers secondary. Green Bay gave its starting cornerback competition some fresh blood in Kevin King, and now it's making sure there's not a Hyde-sized hole in the defensive backfield with the addition of Jones.
Grade: A
Round 3, Pick 93
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Round 3, Pick 93: Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
The Packers went all-in on beefing up their defense with their three selections on Day 2, getting faster and taller in the secondary and then getting some help up front with Auburn defensive tackle Montravius Adams at No. 93 overall.
Some will be disappointed that the Packers got out of Round 3 without a running back, but it wasn't the offense that kept Green Bay from the Super Bowl in 2016.
Is Adams going to be a high-impact player on the defensive line? There's no question the Packers needed to add some bodies there, as they waived Mike Pennel in January and while Letroy Guion serves a four-game suspension to start the year.
Adams has some raw talent; he amassed 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2016. However, some will worry about his underwhelming 2015 season, which "lacked passion and production," per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. However, Auburn's defense as a whole looked off in 2015 after defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson was fired.
Overall, Adams has flashed some playmaking ability, but the Packers always have to be wary of high defensive draft selections who are rumored to take some plays off.
Grade: B
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Round 4, Pick 108 (via CLE)
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Round 4, Pick 108 (via CLE): Vince Biegel, OLB, Wisconsin
The Packers needed to focus on adding elite edge-rushing talent early on Day 3, and it was mission accomplished with the first selection in Round 4, acquired from the Cleveland Browns, with the addition of Wisconsin linebacker Vince Biegel.
Green Bay lost pass-rushers Julius Peppers and Datone Jones in free agency, and even though they still have Clay Matthews, Nick Perry and Jayrone Elliott, the Packers need to keep their pass rush a strength.
Ted Thompson wanted to find defensive coordinator Dom Capers enough bodies to run his linebacker-heavy NASCAR and "Psycho" packages, and Biegel fits the bill perfectly.
A team captain, Biegel is the kind of high-motor player the Packers need in their front seven. He never takes a play off.
His size (6'3", 246 lbs, 32 ⅜" arms) is pedestrian, and his broken foot, which caused him to miss two games in 2016, is a worry as well. But if he can gain functional strength in the weight room and stay healthy, Biegel will be an excellent rotational pass-rusher in Capers' stable.
Grade: A
Round 4, Pick 134
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Round 4, Pick 134: Jamaal Williams, RB, BYU
The Packers finally addressed their backfield in Round 4, selecting BYU running back Jamaal Williams at No. 134 overall.
This is a fantastic selection for a team that needs to give Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael some help running the ball. Montgomery is a pass-catching running back who is shifty and fast, but after losing Eddie Lacy in free agency, Green Bay needs to get a power back as a complement.
That's exactly what Williams, who amassed 1,375 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2016 despite missing three games with an ankle injury, can provide Green Bay. The 6'0", 212-pound back is a muscular runner with a nasty stiff arm.
Williams withdrew from BYU for the 2015 season following honor code violations, including underage drinking and having sex. Though he is not Mormon, Williams attended BYU and signed its relatively strict honor code. But he returned in 2016 and was fifth in the country with 137.5 yards per game.
Grade: A-
Round 5, Pick 175 (via DEN)
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Round 5, Pick 175 (via DEN): DeAngelo Yancey, WR, Purdue
The Packers added their second Big Ten player of the draft after they traded back with the Denver Broncos for No. 175 overall in Round 5.
Green Bay selected Purdue wideout DeAngelo Yancey, a talented receiver who was stuck on an atrocious Boilermakers team that only won nine games during his four-year career.
Yancey, who visited with the Packers in March, is 6'2" and 201 pounds, and that size and long frame allows him to high-point the ball on contested catches.
The Packers needed to supplement their receiver arsenal in this year's draft, but it's unclear how many snaps Yancey will be able to earn. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein saw him as a Round 7 prospect, or possibly even a priority free agent, due to his below-average hands and inability to shake coverage.
But if any team can develop mid- to late-draft receivers, it's Green Bay.
Grade: C
Round 5, Pick 182
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Round 5, Pick 183: Aaron Jones, RB, UTEP
The Packers doubled down on running backs on Day 3, adding Texas-El Paso's all-time leading rusher, Aaron Jones, with their compensatory pick in Round 5.
Jones finished his career at UTEP with 4,114 rushing yards on 658 carries, totaling 33 touchdowns along the way and adding seven receiving touchdowns.
After suffering a torn ligament in his left ankle in 2015, Jones made up for lost time in 2016, finishing fourth in the FBS with 1,773 yards and 20 scores, 17 rushing.
In an ideal world, you want to hit on all of your draft prospects. However, if you're going to look for a small-school prospect with upside, a compensatory pick is a good time to draft one.
The Packers now have the bodies to run a bona fide competition in training camp for their No. 3 running back spot.
Grade: B-
Round 6, Pick 212
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Round 6, Pick 212: Kofi Amichia, T, South Florida
Green Bay finally addressed the offensive line with its sixth-round selection, picking up South Florida left tackle Kofi Amichia.
Amichia started at the left side for the last two years for USF and was named first-team All-AAC in 2016.
Despite the late draft position, Amichia is a solid depth selection for the Packers and has the potential to earn snaps in the rotation as early as this season. That would most likely happen at the guard position, as the Packers have a shortage there and Amichia's size (6'4", 297 pounds) makes him a good candidate to kick inside in the pros.
The Packers hosted the athletic lineman for a visit in mid-April and clearly liked what they saw out of his pro day. He ran a 4.99-second 40-yard dash and benched 32 reps of 225 pounds.
Green Bay has a surplus of talented tackles on the roster; after starters David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga, Jason Spriggs is also a starting-caliber player. So even if Amichia doesn't compete with veteran Don Barclay, second-year player Kyle Murphy and free-agent addition Jahri Evans for the right guard vacancy this season, he could replace Lane Taylor in 2018.
Grade: B
Round 7, Pick 238
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Round 7, Pick 238: Devante Mays, RB, Utah State
We knew running back was a need for the Packers heading into the 2017 NFL draft...but was it a need worth three selections?
On one hand, it's hard to fault Ted Thompson for following his board and making a real effort to find a player who can round out the backfield with Ty Montgomery and Christine Michael.
After all, the Packers still addressed their other perceived major needs: secondary, pass-rusher, defensive line, offensive line.
However, spending three picks on a running back still raises some eyebrows.
The Aggies rusher averaged over 5.85 yards per carry his junior season at Utah State and is an explosive, powerful back. Mays looked great at his pro day after missing part of his senior season after suffering a knee injury. Mays recorded the highest vertical leap at the workout, at 40.5 inches per Jeff Hunter of the Desert News.
Mays visited with the Packers in mid-April.
The grade doesn't necessarily reflect Mays' potential, but rather the fact that he was the third running back taken out of 10 total selections.
Grade: B-
Round 7, Pick 247
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Round 7, Pick 247: Malachi Dupre, WR, LSU
To round out the Green Bay Packers' 2017 draft, the team selected LSU wide receiver Malachi Dupre at No. 247 overall.
Dupre was projected as a third- or fourth-round prospect by NFL.com, so the Packers got excellent value picking him up toward the end of the seventh round.
Why did the wideout fall to the end of the draft? Many scouts view him as a developmental project. But if there's a team that can afford to take the time to bring out the best in a prospect, it's the Packers, whose starting three of Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams is set.
The Packers clearly wanted to get faster all over the field in 2017, and they'll get that in Dupre. The 6'2", 196-pound wideout ran a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine. He's athletic and has superb leaping ability.
If the Packers can coach Dupre up, he could be lining up as a No. 4 receiver in the next year or two for Green Bay.
Grade: B+
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